Abstract
Robin was a 41-year-old woman who presented with low-back pain for 3 days. The pain started after she spent the day bike riding. She was evaluated by the neurology resident in the ER and sent home with muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatory drugs. She returned the next day with a low-grade fever and weakness in her legs. An MRI was done at that time, and Robin was diagnosed with a spinal epidural abscess, a neurosurgical emergency. Further history revealed that she abused IV heroin. A morbidity and mortality conference was held where the attending doctor discussed several of the cognitive biases that led to the missed diagnosis.
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Howard, J. (2019). Blind Spot Bias. In: Cognitive Errors and Diagnostic Mistakes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93224-8_29
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